It may not be obvious to a senior or concerned friend or family member that a driver's physical capacity has changed.

Some of the signs that a senior driver needs assistance are that he or she:

• Neglects to buckle up
• Has difficulty working the pedals
• Has difficulty merging on freeways or turning onto busy streets
• Has trouble seeing other vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians, especially at night
• Ignores or "misses" stop signs and other traffic signals
• Reacts slowly to sirens and flashing lights of emergency vehicles
• Weaves, straddles lanes, drifts into other lanes or changes lanes without signaling
• Gets lost or disoriented easily, even in familiar places
• Has two or more traffic tickets, warnings, collisions or "near misses" in the past two years

How Aging Affects Driving
Driving is a complex, fast-paced activity. A typical driver makes 20 decisions per mile, with less than half a second to act to avoid a collision.

Age can affect a driver's ability to sense, decide and act. Knowing that natural changes come with age will allow senior drivers to take actions that will enable them to be safe drivers while on the road for as long as possible.

At any age, we need to ask ourselves this question: Am I a safe driver? After all, most of us want to make a responsible choice to protect others and ourselves when we drive.

If you are unsure of your performance, discuss the issue with a trusted friend or family member, or visit a CarFit event in your area and work with a trained professional to complete the 12-point checklist. Assessment resources are available through GrandDriver.

If you or someone you care about has experienced, or can answer 'yes' to the following, then follow-up may be needed to ensure safe driving.

• Suffered a stroke, heart attack or diminished eyesight?
• Experienced difficulty in negotiating sharp turns and intersections?
• Hesitated over right-of-way decisions or situations you once took for granted?
• Been surprised by the sudden presence of other vehicles or pedestrians?
• Received negative feedback from other drivers?
• Become lost on familiar routes?
• Felt nervous or exhausted after driving?
• Been cited for traffic violations or found at fault in crashes?

Medicine Alert
Older Americans consume more medications and have more chronic conditions than any other portion of the population. Risk for medication side effects and interactions increases with the number of medications taken each day.

Talk to your medical professional about any side effects your medication may have, and if it may affect your ability to drive.

Common drugs that affect driving:

• Benzodiazepines for anxiety or insomnia
• Insulin for diabetes
• Antispasmodics for ulcers
• Pain medicines and some anti-inflammatories
• Some high blood pressure medications and diuretics
• Antibiotics for infections
• Antihistamines for allergies
• Cardiac glycosides for congestive heart failure
• Antidepressants

(From AAA Straight Talk for Mature Drivers, Meeting the Challenge and Rx for Safe Driving, and the American Society on Aging's DriveWell program)